Ilya
A Medvedev Bonus Story
Chapter 1
Lily
Itry not to show how much my heart is breaking at the sight of Bran’s tiny body or the fear I see etched into his hazel eyes. The poor thing is terrified of everything and everyone. Well, everyone except Talia Medvedev. The little girl who’s decided that no one is going to hurt her newly adopted brother. Her small hand is firmly wrapped around his, and I’ve quickly learned that this job entails not only trying to gain one three-year-old’s trust, but two.
Wanting Bran to trust me, I slowly walk into the living room, making sure I’m always in Bran’s line of sight so he can see me and I don’t startle him. Giving him a smile, I sit down on the floor near him and signHelloto him. He doesn’t respond, but I’m not really expecting him to. I’ve been living with the Medvedev family for two weeks now, and I already explained to his parents that this is going to be a slow process. Vasily and Nina are the kind of parents I wish every child had. They clearly only want what’s best for their kids, and the way this entire family has jumped at the chance to learn sign language makes me feel more emotional than it probably should. Most people bitch and complain about how hard it is or how time-consuming, but everyone I’ve met so far is excited to dig in, and they even laugh when their fingers get clumsy and they mess something up. Humor goes a long way when learning ASL. It’s inevitably going to drive you a little bonkers, but it’s such a beautiful language to learn and I wish more people chose to study it.
“Hey, Lily!”
I turn at the sound of Dmitri’s voice. Bran and Talia’s older brother walks in the room, carrying the book I’d given him a few days ago. It’s a children’s book that illustrates some of the most common signs, and he’s been carrying that thing around ever since I gave it to him. He signsHelloand then makes his steps heavy on the wood floor so Bran can feel the vibration.
“Very good, Dima,” I tell him with a smile, always making sure to sign everything I say. I know Bran doesn’t understand it yet, but he will one day, and the more ASL he sees, the better.
Bran’s eyes dart to Dima. Thanks to the vibrations, he wasn’t startled by the sight of him, but he still looks scared, and he still doesn’t let his guard down. It breaks my heart that he even has a guard to put up.
While the three of them get situated, I grab one of the signing picture books I brought to work with me today. When I look up, Bran is staring at me. He watches everything. He doesn’t like to be startled, and one of the first things I explained to the family was how to be considerate when approaching someone who’s deaf, how to flick the lights or walk heavy or even wave a hand in the air, anything other than just grabbing him from behind and scaring the hell out of him.
Keeping things simple, I start to go through some basic signs in the book. I want him to learn how to ask for easy things like food and water or the bathroom, but he’s still so young and I have to keep lessons short and simple or it’ll be overwhelming and frustrating.
Talia giggles at the picture of the dog in the book and squeezes Bran’s hand. His eyes dart to hers, and when he sees the big smile on her face, I see him quickly return it before looking back at me. That tiny glimpse of a carefree Bran makes me more determined than ever to help him learn to communicate in a way that he can understand.
After about twenty minutes, I hear someone walking up behind me. Bran spots the movement and immediately angles his head so he can see around me. His big eyes watch as Nina sits down next to me.
“I desperately want to put him in my lap and give him a big hug,” she admits to me as she reaches out to ruffle Dima’s hair. Talia jumps up and gives her mom a hug, but Bran stays put, still too cautious to fling himself into her arms.
“You’re doing great,” I tell her, meaning every word of it. “He’ll learn he’s safe here. It’s just going to take some time.”
“Thanks, Lily. You’ve been such a lifesaver.” She smiles at Bran before looking over at me. “I’m so glad we were able to find you.”
“Me too,” I say. The truth is I’d been in between jobs and the call from the Medvedevs had been exactly what I’d been looking for. Since graduating college, I haven’t been able to find a permanent position at a school, and I was starting to get worried. I want to help kids. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, and not being able to find a full-time position had been devastating. The offer from Nina and Vasily had been like a dream—a live-in position with the opportunity to help not only Bran but the entire family, a very generous income, and a small cabin on the property that I can live in rent-free.
My yes had been a very easy one, but I’m not an idiot. I’ve lived in this city my whole life, and I know who the Medvedevs are. I know what they do, but I also know that I’ve seen the way Vasily is with his family, and a man who loves like that can’t be all bad.
I look at Bran and give him a wink, making him give me the tiniest grin in return. Plus, I’ve fallen completely in love with these kids, and I couldn’t walk away now even if I wanted to.
When the lights flicker, we all turn and see Vasily standing in the doorway. As soon as Talia sees him, she lets out a happy squeal and shouts, “Daddy!” as she runs over to greet him. He laughs and scoops her up into his very muscular, very tattooed arms. The man may look scary, but he’s clearly a giant softie where his family is concerned. I’m not so naive to think that extends beyond his home, though.
Ilya is standing behind him, staying on the edge of the room. We were introduced on my first day here, but I haven’t seen him since. His dark eyes meet mine as he scans the room, and I quickly look away, putting all my focus back on Bran. Just because I’m slowly becoming comfortable with Vasily and his brothers doesn’t mean I want to make prolonged eye contact with the scary, tattooed guy who’s built like an angry god.
Vasily takes a seat next to his wife, giving her a kiss before whispering something to her in Russian. Talia scoots off his lap so she can sit next to Bran again while Vasily gives his oldest son a big hug. I can tell he wants to do the same to Bran, but the wide-eyed stare his youngest is giving him has him holding back. Instead, he smiles and signsHito him before slowly fingerspelling Bran’s name. They’re the only letters Bran knows right now, and when he recognizes them, a smile slips through before he quickly hides it.
“Progress,” Vasily says while his wife nods and leans her head against his shoulder.
We spend some time going over some common signs, and then they invite me to stay for supper. I gladly take them up on it so I can spend more time with the kids, and by the time I leave their house a couple of hours later, I’m already thinking about new ways to help Bran adjust to his new life.
I’m so lost in thought that it takes me a second to realize someone is behind me. I let out a startled gasp and turn, clutching my arms to my chest in some sort of defensive hug, because apparently my first instincts are not to try and protect myself by inflicting damage.
Ilya stops and holds his hands up. Smiling, he says, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just going to walk you home.”
I study him for a second, noticing that he doesn’t look scary when he’s giving me his full smile. The amused glint in his eyes and the flirty tilt of his head have me changing my idea of him. I’m obviously staring at the playboy of the group, and that’s the last thing I want or need. I look around, and even though it’s dark out, we’re on Vasily’s property, and this place is like a fortress. There’s literally no safer place to be than right here.
“Why?” I ask, and he seems startled by my question because he lets out a surprised laugh and flashes me another big grin that probably gets him laid all the time.
“It’s dark,” he says, “and you have to walk through the woods. I thought you might like some company.”
